Howard prefers to watch the sun rise from his boat alongside two
black labs, with only his boat's motor and the occasional bird
squawk breaking the morning silence.

But the fishing guide isn't alone - he's usually got a few
clients on board, eager to learn about fishing salmon and steelhead
in the Coquille, Umpqua, Sixes, Elk and Rogue rivers, as well as
Coos Bay.

They're learning from one of the best. Howard was born and
raised in Bandon, as was his father, who taught him to fish. A
former building contractor, Howard earned his fishing guide license
in 1995, and retired in 2001 to guide full-time.

"I would take my vacation in the fall and go fishing," Howard
said. "Now I get to fish all the time."

His passion for fishing started early.

"I had my first boat on the Coquille River in 1964 when I was
14," he said. "I've been hooked on fishing a long time."

Now he's passing that on to clients, many of which he's seen
before.

"Most of the people I fish are repeat clients," he said. "They
book the same day every year."

Not all of them are out-of-towners looking to get a taste of
South Coast salmon fishing.

"A lot of local guys that don't want to spend their own money to
buy their own gear," Howard said.

That was true last Friday, as Shelly Smith, Jack Napier and
Victor Napier, all of Langlois, helped Howard launch his boat in
the Umpqua River under heavy fog.

The cool, eery morning gave way to a sunny, warm day after a few
passes over a salmon-heavy spot. At least, it's usually
salmon-heavy. Friday was a different story.

With the sun beaming down on the glassy river, the anglers had
yet to see a bite, and only one other boat actually landed a
salmon. After each pass, they dutifully checked their baits to see
if they needed replaced. Near the end of each pass, Howard pleaded
"Come on, fish," hoping to rustle up some last-second salmon before
they started all over again.